Recent Progress on Lubrication Performance of 2D Nanomaterials

Abstract

Friction and wear study attract significant attention due to their critical relevance in industrial machinery, aerospace, and nuclear power applications. Excessive friction reduces energy efficiency, while wear accelerates mate rial degradation and system failure. Lubrication effectively decreases friction and enhances wear performance. Recent advancements highlight the potential of two-dimensional (2D) materials as high-performance lubricants and lubricant additives. These materials exhibit high specific surface area, atomic thinness, exceptional mechanical strength, unique physical and chemical properties, multilayered structures, and weak interlayer forces, enabling their use as lubricants or additives in base lubricants. They significantly reduce friction and wear compared to unlubricated conditions. Con- sequently, 2D materials have been widely studied in tribological applications. This review summarizes research prog- ress on the tribological behavior of emerging 2D materials, including MXene, graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), as lubricants and lubricant additives, emphasizing their outstanding lubri- cation performance. Additionally, it discusses fundamental lubrication mechanisms associated with 2D materials, including rolling effects, mending effects, synergistic interactions, and tribofilm formation during sliding contact. Finally, the review highlights key findings, future perspectives, and challenges in lubricant development and additive design, guiding researchers in creating innovative lubricants that enhance fretting wear resistance.